A collection of 33 thoughts contributed by Bill McKeen

Musing on life:

When it be within your power to return a wrong done unto you, consider which type of action will continue the discord, and which will end it.

2. Looking Ahead:

For the want of something more we lose more. In the status quo or less anything is a gain.

3. Density:

In good company a hard chair will not bother me.

4. Repute:

No matter how bad a person reputation is, if they treat you well you will still probably still like them.

5. 1948:

When I was a child living in Northumberland (Groveton), NH, we didn't have running hot water, ball point pens, television or instant coffee.

6. Optical Illusion of Time:

In our mind's eye we have a tendency to make things look bigger. After being away for many years, I decided to visit my home town and the elementary school which I attended. I was shocked and somewhat awed. Everything appeared closer together and much smaller.

7. Angst:

I try not to let myself get carried away by worrying. My pall bearers will do it for me.

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8. Historical Contact:

I have been told that my great grandfather on my mothers side of the family, David Holbrook, a Captain in the Union Army during the Civil War, got to shake hands with Abraham Lincoln.

My claim to fame would be that I got stared down by John Kennedy. It happened in 1960 while I was in Washington D.C. After receiving a pass from my local congressman I went to Capital Hill to visit the U.S. Senate. While I was sitting up in the senate gallery, JFK was on the floor surrounded by some of his colleagues. He had just returned from campaigning in the N.H. primary. With a sense of knowing and without scanning the gallery, he looked up directly at me. It lasted maybe 3 or 4 seconds. I couldn't hold it and had to look away. In retrospect I wished I had flashed the victory sign. Maybe I could have gotten a wave or perhaps the famous Kennedy smile.

9. Nepotism:

If you are a blood relative, a minor achievement will be seen as a major accomplishment. If you are not a blood relative, a major accomplishment could be viewed as a minor achievement.

10. Same Suit--Different Tie:

If you are a blood relative, a major blunder will be viewed as a minor miscue. If you are not a blood relative, a minor miscue could be seen as a major blunder.

11. On Women:

"She has a intuitive understanding of what lies' quite close to her, her field of vision is narrow and doesn't reach that which is remote; so that women are decidedly more sober in their judgement than we are, so they do not see more in a thing than is really there, whilst if our passion are aroused, we are apt to see things in an exaggerated way, or imagine what does not exist." German Philosopher A. Schopenhauer:

12. Regrets:

In my own life reviews I found a few of them were well thought out and logical but just turned out to be wrong. Some were due to temptation. Many were done under stress and pressure. A few were also caused by ignorance and stupidity.

13. Looking Back:

"In the world of life we look forward to a long future, and towards the end we look back upon a long past. At the end of life a person must tally up in their own accounts. Life may be compared to a piece of embroidery, of which, during the first half of our life we have a sight of the right side, and during the second half we get to see the other side. It is not as pretty as the right but it is more instructive; it shows the way in which the threads have been worked together." Above words extrapolated from "Council & Maxims" by A. Schopenhauer.

14. Brain Science:

You don't need to dwell on the this subject to become an expert. All you need to know is an area called the "prefrontal cortex." One part of it (dorsal) tells you where to go, what to do and what to say. The other part (ventral) tells you where not to go, what not to do and what not to say.

15. Schadenfreude: 2

Despite its negative connotation it does produce a good feeling either consciously or subconsciously. It comes from a sense of relief or satisfaction in the knowledge that you are not the only one in this world who must suffer in strife and misery.

16. Four Kinds of Love:

Conditional Love: (Common). In relationships and marriage. Knowing where not to tread. Respect. Meeting of the minds. Equal distribution. Deviation; domination and infidelity.

Unconditional Love: Soul mates including those of the same gender, children, grandchildren, and pets.Â Deviations; Nothing can deter it.

Physical Love: For propagation of species. Orgasmic. pleasure and unification. Deviation. Perversions of sexual desires as in rape and child molestation.

Universal Love: (Rare). You are sitting on a bench with your child and a stranger at other end. In universal love they say that you will love both equally. Your ego and parental genes will no longer dominate. You become one with the universe. Deviation. There are none. References on this subject of "non-attachment" can also be found from the many Near Death Experience testimonies available on the Internet.

17. The sexual impulse:

"Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then, there arises a disturbance in its whole body". (Gospel of Mary. The Gnostic Society Library.)

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18. Omens And Sign:

There are both good ones and bad ones, Most of them are subtle and elusive, yet if you look close enough you might be able to make a connection. Occasionally one will appear that is so powerful it can't be ignored. I can testify to that. My father-in-law came to visit our house one afternoon in early. 1999-DEC. After talking in the kitchen for about 5 minutes, I looked out the window and saw all these black birds, It was an incredible sight. They completely covered our lawn and the yard of three of our neighbors. He opened the outside door and shouted to scare them away. Five hours later at a card party he collapsed from a massive heart attack and passed away.

19. Reincarnation:

I could almost believe in rebirth and the purification of the soul if it was more fair and equitable. They say that the degree of suffering for each individual is predicated on the amount of negative karma accumulated in this life or perhaps a previous one. I think you can almost tie in Karma to the quantum physics concept. Anything in orbit relating to the "event" may be sucked into a black hole or vacuum and dealt with. Henceforth shifting the odds into a more equitable direction. Be it a good payback or a bad one.

Fixed matter is nothing more than one thing on top of another. Organic matter is a rotating entity that has a beginning, a middle and an end.

22. Mind Over Matter:

The latest findings from the world of science states that physical reality (matter) is a non existence entity. Consisting of a combination of energy and vibrations. Broken down into vortexes of atoms and within, smaller vortexes of quarks and protons. All of this knowledge comes from the quantum physics double slit experiment. Not easy to comprehend but the results and conclusions drawn from it are mind blowing. Especially in scientific research and technology. It is in observations, focus and thoughts that allows us to utilize this great power of creation. Be it for good or evil.

23. Two People. (A Study in Contrast):

The first person appears calm and serene; is adept at making conversation, yet listens well; Is considerate, and will not jump start or interrupt another; Enjoys musical concerts.

The second person is lacking in social skills; appears to be tense; doesn't really say much, but when he or she does speak, tends to be very direct and somewhat louder. Enjoys visiting museums.

The first person is blind. The second person is hearing impaired.

24. Second Person:

A glimpse on the other side of the wall. In the absents of the spoken word, the hearing impaired do become very astute at reading lips and facial expressions. With lip reading, it is in a high state of awareness that a fleeting analysis must be made between partial sound and lip movement. Sometimes before the end of a sentence, you get a clue as to a key word previously stated. While you are trying to reconstruct the previous statement the person is still talking. So, not only are you doing what was said before, but you must process what is being said now, and at the same time, you have to be ready with a response to keep the conversation going.

25. As For My Self:

I have been partially deaf since birth. In the low frequency sounds my hearing loss was moderate to severe. In high frequency it was profound. Thus affecting my ability speak and hear. It has been one hell of a ride. My speaking and writing style tend to be short and to the point as you can see here.

26. Grandparents:

Just when you thought your bird nesting days were over along comes the grandchildren. The phantom umbilical cord returns with all the joys, cares and worries that it entails. Where your pleasure resides, your pain resides.

27. Prime Time:

Child development in the first five years is so critical when it comes to acquiring emotional stability, bonding, trust and communication skills. Any kind of prolonged negative stimulus can create development delays and or at worst, life long phobia of one kind or another. The following idiom certainly applies. "As the twig is bent so is the tree inclined".

28. Afterthought (Metaphorically).

A lesson from nature. We had in our yard seven pine trees all in a line facing the south next to our neighbor house. Because of safety concerns we had them taken down leaving just the stumps. Being curious, I measured each one in diameter. The first was at 40 inches and was at one time of great height. The last one 30 inches. The five in the middle between 16 to 20 inches in diameter. The first tree being extreme in both height and girth was facing the west where it received the most sunshine. The other ones did not fair as well, especially in the middle. The message taken here from this metaphor is that with the right amount of love (sunshine) for each of your children (trees) you will be contributing greatly to their development, growth and maturity.

29. Esoteric:

Impossible to know in the here and now
Restricted and confined as we are.
With ignorance abounding everywhere.
Each to their own little universe.
Not knowing whence or why, when or how.
Seeking to find the fleeting joy, ever so brief and shallow.
Stoke the ego, call my name, and give me my due.
Oh Mother Dear, hold me close in thy restful womb.

30. Hang Time:

"I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning." (Andy Warhol)

Notes:

If any of the written material above looks familiar, then it is coincidental. ("except where noted") I believe that there nothing in this world that has not been said before in one way or another. Still, I like to think that everyone has a little different stroke when it comes to using the same paint brush.

"Schadenfreude" is a German term that refers to one's experience of pleasure from another person's misfortune.

Alvin Boyd Kuhn, "The Lost Light, An interpretation of ancient scriptures," CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, (2011). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store.